International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the achievements of women and to reflect on the barriers that women have overcome economically, politically, and socially. It is a time when women around the world come together to share stories of empowerment and to encourage others that change is possible. The Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) Institute currently taking place in Uganda embodies the definition and the spirit of International Women’s Day. It signifies women working together to achieve parity and demonstrating their dedication to empowering a future generation of women leaders in public service.

2014 was not a good one for women in the Middle East. Political turmoil, civil war, the rise of Islamic State, clampdowns by autocratic governments, and the ineffectiveness of reformist governments all contributed to unfavorable, even worsening, conditions for women, writes Haleh Esfandiari.

Following up on her critically acclaimed biographies of Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Antonin Scalia, Joan Biskupic, one of the nation’s top court reporters, focuses on the rise of Sonia Sotomayor in her latest book. A former Wilson Center Scholar who currently serves as editor in charge for legal affairs at Reuters, Biskupic has covered the US Supreme Court for more than 20 years. She joins us to discuss the behind the scenes rise of Sotomayor and also provides insight into the first Latina Justice’s initial impact on the court.

"Parliamentarians’ renewed obsession with women’s dress and male-female workplace mixing represents a throwback to the early days of the Islamic revolution, when women who did not observe the Islamic dress code were subject to 70 lashes and when men and women were segregated in university classrooms, buses and elsewhere," writes Haleh Esfandiari.

"Islamic State militants crossed a last possible boundary of decency by citing the Quran as authority for the barbarism they have been practicing against women. Equally disturbing, Arab leaders and the ulama, the clerical leaders of Islam, have been silent in the face of this effrontery," writes Haleh Esfandiari.

"You should focus on 50% of the population, which is women, and see what is happening to them. You should mention them, you should have the courage to say 'yes this is done to our women; this is done to our sisters, daughters, wives...'" said Haleh Esfandiari.

"As Washington teams up with autocratic regimes–some of which notoriously use the cover of their faith to justify unfair policies–the United States may have credibility problems among the very people it hopes to help," writes Robin Wright.

From August 4-6, 2014, the first ever US-Africa Summit took place in Washington, DC. The Africa Program and its colleagues provided daily coverage of the event and a variety of perspectives on what this means for US-Africa relations going forward.